MORE than 200 Fijian businesses exporting to New Zealand have been resilient in their efforts to meet their export demands despite the challenges brought on by COVID-19, says Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand Trade Commissioner Glynis Miller.
Mrs Miller explained that the local businesses have been able to continue exporting to New Zealand despite the closing of borders and the high cost of freight.
“It’s safe to say that no one has gone unscathed from the pandemic and Fiji is so exception but we are finding through our interactions with the business owners is that despite that is going against them there is still a sense of resilience and commitment to exporting their products across,” she said.
“One thing I always see is that the private sector will always find a way to get their product to market because for them it’s a commercial outcome.
“They have families that depend on them and employees they have to pay so despite COVID in Fiji, companies are still exporting to markets.” She said some companies had even experienced an increase in their sales.
“Some of them were heavily affected, however, in saying that there are a couple of companies and the rest of the region who are doing better now during COVID than they were pre-COVID.
“So the global market dynamics have changed and their competitors are no longer their competitors and have opened up a window of opportunity and Fiji companies have stepped into that space and there is evidence to suggest that they are doing much better.”
She said Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand had begun efforts to engage their local clients looking to expand their exports to the New Zealand market.
“We are finding those businesses that are still on their feet and those that are on the more established category.”
